Newsletter 5 (March 2021)

By WIE Team

03 March, 2021

IEEE WIE Past and upcoming events

Arni Dhar

Figure 1: FEIT online orientation event screenshot

Past Events

Orientation Introduction

A new year and a new Semester! For all the new students recently joining our University of Melbourne, we warm-heartedly welcome you. During the orientation on 22nd February, we introduced our club, IEEE WIE UniMelb. We are a group of women volunteers promoting our other women fellows to pursue STEM courses in all stages of their education. We aim to get as many volunteers who can help us promote STEM courses.

For becoming a volunteer, the link to the google form is on the website.

Upcoming Events

Promotional Activity

To make our group of women bigger, we are collaborating with the IEEE student branch of UniMelb. We are going to promote IEEE WIE Unimelb for our small team to become big and helpful. With an exclusive event, we wish to expand our knowledge and strength to all our Unimelb students.

Meet and greet

IEEE WIE Unimelb is organising a meet and greet event on March 12, at Dr Dax Cafe of Melbourne University. This event will include meeting the team, learning about our affinity group, upcoming events and how you can get involved.Post-lockdown this would be a good chance to catch up with real people, enjoy a free coffee and explore what IEEE WIE Unimelb is all about.
Event link: https://www.facebook.com/116738209727684/posts/512477706820397

Celebrate the International Women’s Day with WIE Unimelb

Meng Abigail Yuan

A new semester has begun, and International Women’s Day is coming! Our ultimate goal is to help female students and engineers connect and provide as much support as possible. As a warm-up to our exciting Women’s Day event, let us talk about the history of Women’s Day and the theme of 2021.

The History of International Women’s Day

According to the International Women’s Development Agency, the first Women’s Day was held in 1910 in the United States, and then it soon became a global celebration in 1911. The story started in 1908: against a backdrop of terrible working conditions and exploitation, 15,000 women took to the streets in New York protesting for shorter hours, better pay and voting rights. Later, to honour the strikers, the day 8th March was announced as Women’s Day.

Who Are With Us

“Women’s rights are human rights!” A loud and clear message is now sent by billions of people worldwide every year, and more and more people are joining the activity because people realise that we have to bring a less-biased and equal world. If it is something right to do, then shall we not leave it to future generations.

While the girls are fighting against bias and inequality, we should also remember that we are not alone. We are the people who believe in a better future in which no one should be excluded and left behind because of their gender or identity.

What Can We Do to Make a Difference

First of all, join WIE unimelb! As long as you are an Engineering/IT student or staff member, you can join WIE unimelb. We operate as a support team, primarily focusing on female engineers, and this is where you can make friends and get connected. Besides, the joint events we hold with other clubs can bring you more opportunities to gain mentorship and other resources for your career. You can consider joining us to connect with the people facing the same challenges as you do. Together, we can make a difference!

Moreover, do not forget to come to our Women’s Day celebration event on 8th March! If you have any questions about the event or joining WIE unimelb, please feel free to email us at unimelb.wie.ieee.gmail.com

References:

Exercises you can do to help you study better

Simona Karevska

As the semester begins and we go back to our desks sitting and studying for long hours at a time, it is important to keep our body healthy throughout this period. Sitting for long periods at a time can cause back pain, fatigue and muscle tightness. It is important to take regular study breaks and improve posture and body alignment. Some things you can do to help include; avoid crossing knees and ankles while sitting, sit as straight as possible, relax your shoulders and keep elbows in toward your ribs1.

Exercise has many benefits, particularly for students who want to ace the semester! It helps regulate concentration, maintain correct cortisol levels, lower stress, improve memory, maintain blood glucose levels, and trigger an anti-inflammatory response that strengthens immunity2.

Importantly, avoid sitting for long periods by mixing it up with exercises and short walks. Here are some easy and effective exercises you can do at your desk throughout the day. Try a few every day and change it up.

Trapezius squeeze

Sit up with arms spread to either side. Bend your arms at 90 degrees with fingers pointing forward. Pull your elbows back and pinch your shoulders together. Hold for 5 seconds, release and repeat 10 times.

Glute squeeze

When sitting, contract your gluteal muscles, squeezing as hard as you can. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat 10-20 times.

Shrug

Move your shoulders up as close as you can to your ears and hold for 5 seconds. Repeat.

Downward dog

Press into your hands and feet. Keep your hands shoulder-width apart and your feet hip-width apart. Bend your knees and lift your hips, pointing upwards. Lengthen your tailbone up and release your forehead down. It will lengthen your spine and decompress your vertebrae after sitting for a long period.

Ragdoll fold

From standing, bend your knees and fold your body over. Keep your weight on the balls of your feet and drop your head to release your back muscles. It is good for blood flow to the brain. For a good video on this stretch, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7Cslx73HQQ&feature=youtu.be

Stretch to the sky

Sit up straight and raise your arms above your head. Stretch as high as you can while keeping your bottom fully on the chair. Hold for 10 seconds for a refreshing feeling.

Half kneel stretch

Stretch in half kneel position with your hip tilted forward (flatten your back) and inhale. As you exhale, shift your body weight forward, and you can stretch the arms on the bent leg side above your head. Switch sides. Watch this Instagram video to see it done: https://www.instagram.com/tv/BxfrSHNg_Vh/?utm_source=ig_embed

Triceps dip

Sit on the edge of your chair, grip it with your hands and straighten your legs. Then slide forward just enough so that your bottom clears the chair. Lower yourself until your elbows are bent 45-90 degrees.

Squat

Wall squat: with your back on the wall and your knees bent in front of you at a 90-degree angle, hold the stance. Do 3 sets with 30-sec rest in between.
Chair squat: stand in front of your chair, feet flat and back straight. Press your weight on your heels and squat until your bottom hovers over the seat. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat 10 times.

Abdominal lift

While seated, place your hands on the seat/arms of the chair. Keep knees bent and press your weight on your palms, lifting yourself off the seat. The higher you lift your knees, the better toning of the abs. Repeat 10 times

Oblique Swivel

Sit up straight, hands on either side of the chair and feet flat on the floor in front of you. Twist your body to the left and right. Alternatively, if you have a swivel chair, place your feet flat on the floor in front of you, grip your desk and swivel with control, left and right.

Leg plank

Stand up and lift one leg, holding it at a 90-degree angle for about 10 seconds. Switch legs

Water bottle curls

As you would lift weights, curl your water bottle up to your shoulders about 15 times each arm

Burpees

A harder exercise, but it will help with cardio, power and strength. Find a room and do 5 reps with 30 seconds break in between the sets. Watch for a tutorial on the right way to do a burpee: https://youtu.be/qLBImHhCXSw

Skipping

With a skipping rope, skip for about 2-3min. It will help with fitness and strengthen your connective tissue, which helps to prevent injury.

References

Engineering joke of the month

Ishita Akhter

Source: Google

Recent IEEE WIE achievements

Ishita Akhter

2020 IEEE Technical Field Awards.

Source: https://wie.ieee.org/2020-ieeetfarecipients/

In 2020, three women—Evelyn L. Hu, Eve. M. Schooler, and Solveig M. Ward—will receive Technical Field Awards, which are some of the highest awards given on behalf of the IEEE Board of Directors.

IEEE Fellow Evelyn L. Hu will receive the IEEE Andrew S. Grove Award “for pioneering contributions to microelectronics fabrication technologies for nanoscale and photonic devices.” Hu’s innovative work in micro-and nanofabrication technologies has enabled the continued shrinking of integrated circuits. Industrial and academic research groups use her methods to achieve nanometer-scale control over device geometries while maintaining excellent optical properties, impacting areas ranging from telecommunications to high-speed electronics. Her work has resulted in lasers with record low threshold values, single-photon sources, improved extraction of light from indium-gallium-nitride light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and coupled light-matter states. She will receive the award in May at the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO) in San Jose, California, USA.

IEEE Senior Member Eve. M. Schooler is a co-recipient of the IEEE Internet Award “for distinguished leadership in developing standards for Internet multimedia, and formative contributions to the design of Internet multimedia protocols.” Schooler’s work on early multimedia signalling protocols was instrumental in demonstrating the feasibility of Internet packet audio and video and scalable collaborative systems. She brought these innovations into the standards arena, where she led the Multiparty Multimedia Session Control (MMUSIC) working group in the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) for many years. She co-authored the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), a widely adopted standard for Internet telephony and multimedia conferencing, and she developed a real-time transport control protocol (RTCP) extensions, enabling large-scale IPTV deployment. She will receive the award at the 2020 International Conference on Communications in Dublin, Ireland.

The IEEE Charles Proteus Steinmetz Award will be given to IEEE Fellow Solveig M. Ward “for leadership in and contributions to protection and communication standards for improved power system reliability.” Ward has led and participated in developing a large number of industry standards, including wide-area protection, cybersecurity, protection system management systems, and communication protocols, including IEC 61850. She has led or participated in the development of industry standards in the important areas of power system communications and redundancy that have been of great use for the industry. Her work has resulted in significantly more reliable and faster protection, preventing widespread power system outages and equipment failures. She will receive the award at the 2020 IEEE PES General Meeting on 4th August in Montreal, Canada.

2020 WIE Award Recipients

Source: https://wie.ieee.org/current_awardwinners2020/

WIE Inspiring Member of the Year Award:
Winner: Lee Yoot Khuan (R10)
Honourable Mention: Divya M G (R10)
Honourable Mention: Simay Akar (R8)

WIE Inspiring Student Member of the Year Award:
Winner: Indhumathi Gunasekaran (R10)
Honorable Mention: Ana Hellen Carvalho dos Santos (R9)
Honorable Mention: Rossana Gauto Moran (R9)

WIE Affinity Group of the Year Award:
Winner: WIE Ottawa AG (R7)
Honorable Mention: WIE Argentina AG (R9)
Honourable Mention: WIE Malaysia AG (R10)

WIE Student Branch Affinity Group of the Year Award:
Winner: WIE Universidade Federal de Campina Grande UFCG SBAG (R9)
Honorable Mention: WIE Unidad Profesional Interdisciplinaria en Ingeniería y Tecnologías Avanzadas UPIITA SBAG (R9)
Honorable Mention: WIE Universidad Don Bosco SBAG (R9)